This Week With Gosar

Weekly Newsletter

April 12, 2026

Voting Now Open: Celebrate Our Exceptional Student Artists

The 2026 Congressional Art Competition showcases the remarkable talent of high school artists from Arizona's Ninth District. Their creativity and dedication are truly inspiring.

I invite you to view this year's outstanding submissions and vote for your favorite to receive the 2026 People's Choice Award-honoring the student artwork that earns the most online votes.

Cast your vote here and support these gifted young artists.

Voting is open now and closes at 12:00 PM (AZ time) on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the awards ceremony and in the following weekly newsletter.

Another Week, Another Preventable Tragedy: The Deadly Cost of Failed Border Policies

Another week, another preventable tragedy-and once again, the American people are left to deal with the consequences of reckless border policies pushed by the Biden administration.

According to multiple news reports, the suspect in a brutal daylight hammer attack that killed an innocent mother in Florida was not just here illegally-he was released into the country in 2022 and later granted Temporary Protected Status under Biden-era open border policies.

Let that sink in. This wasn't someone who slipped through the cracks. This was someone that Joe Biden knowingly allowed to remain in the United States.

From where I stand in Arizona, this is not an isolated incident-it's a pattern. If you need another sad reminder, check out last week's newsletter. We see the human consequences of the leftists' open-border mindset every single day. Communities overwhelmed. Law enforcement stretched thin. And far too often, innocent Americans paying the price.

In this case, even officials within the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the illegal alien had been released into the country and later given legal protection despite a system that should have removed him. That is not a failure of chance-that is a failure of policy.

And here's the hard truth Washington refuses to admit: when you incentivize illegal entry, weaken enforcement, and prioritize processing over protection, you are going to get more of this-not less. At the same time, most Democrats continue to resist fully funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, undermining the very agency tasked with removing individuals who are in this country unlawfully.

For years, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Democrats kept telling Americans the border is "secure." That was an insult to every family living along the southern border-and to every victim of crimes like this one. In Arizona, we don't have the luxury of pretending. We dealt with the consequences firsthand: cartel activity, fentanyl poured into our communities, and millions of illegals who never should have been here in the first place.

Border security is national security. And until Democrats get serious about enforcing the law, funding ICE, and protecting the American people, these tragedies will keep happening-and Americans will keep paying the price.

Order Restored: Zero Releases Show What Real Border Enforcement Looks Like

Speaking of securing the border, new data released this week underscores a simple truth I have been making for years: securing the border never required reinventing the law-it required the will to enforce it.

After years of disorder under the Biden administration-when 20 million illegals entered the country and "catch-and-release" became the norm-Republicans in Congress, working alongside the Trump administration, helped bring enforcement back to the forefront. The results are undeniable.

For 11 consecutive months, not a single illegal alien has been released into the United States at the border-a dramatic shift from the prior administration's policy and a clear indication that enforcement works.

Agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are prioritizing deportations, tightening asylum standards, and reinforcing consequences for unlawful entry.

The difference is stark. Where the previous administration purposely allowed the system to be overwhelmed, President Trump's approach restores order, strengthens national security, and reestablishes credibility at the border. When there are real consequences, crossings drop-and American communities are safer for it.

Republicans fought for this outcome-standing with frontline agents, fully funding DHS, rejecting policies that incentivized illegal immigration, and insisting that the law be applied as written. What we're seeing now is proof that border security is not only possible-it's achievable when leadership is willing to act.

California's Policies - Not "Price Gouging" - Are Driving Arizona's Gas Prices

As a conservative member of Congress from Arizona, I regularly hear from constituents frustrated by high gas prices-and for many, those costs are tied directly to fuel coming from California.

The results of a recent investigation by CBS News released this week made the cause unmistakably clear: California's government policies-not oil companies-are driving the nation's highest gas prices. After two years and a taxpayer-funded probe, officials found no evidence of illegal price gouging.

Instead, the investigation pointed to three main factors: refinery closures-including facilities operated by Valero and Phillips 66-which cut nearly 20% of capacity; an isolated fuel market that limits supply; and heavy state-imposed taxes and regulatory costs that add roughly $20 per fill-up.

The result: while the national average is around $4.16 per gallon, California nears $6-costs that ripple into Arizona. At the same time, the state increasingly imports fuel from overseas, often from regions with weaker environmental standards, adding even more cost.

As Andy Walz of Chevron put it plainly, once refineries shut down, officials had to acknowledge reality: this wasn't price gouging-it was policy failure.

Republicans in Congress, alongside the Trump administration, have advanced a different path-pushing to expand domestic energy production, streamline refinery permitting, reduce regulatory burdens, and open access to American resources. The goal is simple: increase supply, lower costs, and restore energy independence so families in Arizona and across the country aren't paying the price for failed policies elsewhere.

Strength First, Results Follow

Many have forgotten the Iran Hostage Crisis-but they shouldn't. For 444 days, American diplomats were held captive. It didn't end through delicate diplomacy; it ended when Iran recalculated the cost as Ronald Reagan prepared to take office.

That's the core lesson: strength changes behavior.

Iran never gave up its hostility-it refined it. For decades, it has relied on proxies to strike U.S. interests and allies while avoiding direct confrontation-a steady, deliberate pressure strategy.

Now to the present. As tensions escalated this week, critics focused on rhetoric, warning of recklessness and war. Instead, the result was a ceasefire. Not escalation, but de-escalation-and not in spite of pressure, but because of it.

For years, Iran operated under the assumption of predictable American restraint. That assumption no longer holds. When the cost-benefit equation shifts, so does decision-making. What once seemed sustainable becomes too risky-and adversaries pull back.

Donald Trump approaches foreign policy as a negotiator. His words are directed at opponents, not crafted for comfort. Judging outcomes based on tone rather than results misses the point.

You don't have to like the delivery. What matters is the outcome-and this week reinforced that clear, unapologetic strength produces results.

Meanwhile, the Fake News narrative again suggests Iran holds the upper hand-an argument that overlooks reality and mirrors Tehran's messaging.

After years of ineffective diplomacy under Joe Biden, Iran accumulated resources while advancing its missile and nuclear capabilities. Today, however, it enters talks in a weakened state: leadership diminished, military capacity reduced, proxies degraded, and internal instability rising.

Claims that the U.S. lacks leverage under Trump are backwards. Iran is negotiating because its options are limited, and its regional position has eroded.

Pointing to short-term disruptions-like oil price fluctuations-as proof of Iranian strength is shortsighted. The broader picture is clear: Iran is on the defensive.

Trump's strategy has consistently combined pressure with an off-ramp. If Iran miscalculates, negotiations will collapse-and the consequences will escalate quickly and decisively.

Tweet of the Week:

Photo of the Week:

CW Kyle from Surprise, AZ shares this amazing photo of the Gillespie Dam on the Gila River and notes that the bridge is 100 years old this year! Another great picture, CW. Thanks for submitting it!

Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our "Picture of the Week?" If so, send your best shots along with a brief description to [email protected]. Remember to include your name and where you live.

Gosar in the News and Other Must-Read Stories:

Fox News: Daylight hammer attack suspect is illegal alien released under Biden policies: DHS

Washington Examiner: Trump's historic border turnaround: Zero releases at the border for 11 consecutive months

CBS News: California gas prices are the highest in the U.S., but there's no proof of price gouging. Here's why.

ABC 15: Why are bees more active right now? Experts say it's the heat

Breitbart: Report: Iran's Missing Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei 'Unconscious'

⚠ Warning!! The Gosar Weekly Newsletter is meant for discerning readers with above-average intelligence. We link to interesting stories. We get stories a couple different ways: Google alerts, a third-party aggregator and sometimes readers send stuff. We don't vouch for every publication or every author. If we link to a story, it is because of that story. The views expressed in any of the publications do not represent any promotion, endorsement or reflection of Congressman Gosar's views. While we try our best, we cannot guarantee every news organization spouting hatred, animosity or divisiveness will be filtered from appearing in the Gosar Weekly Newsletter. We will endeavor to prevent that from happening by never linking to Fake News organizations including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Rolling Stone, the Arizona Republic, the Arizona Mirror, Media Matters or the New Republic.